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Kalyn's Low Carb Coleslaw

I'm crazy about any kind of salad that features cabbage, but this basic recipe for Kalyn's Low Carb Coleslaw is a cabbage salad recipe I make over and over. This is the perfect side dish for anything on the grill, and my Low Carb Coleslaw is also gluten-free and South Beach Diet friendly.

It's probably not too hard to figure out that I love salads with cabbage, and there are lots of interesting cabbage slaw recipes on the blog, some of which I make over and over when I want a tasty low-carb side dish with a bit of crunch. But I have to confess I love coleslaw, just the basic sweet-sour stuff you make with the already-shredded mix from the grocery store. It's a salad I think is the perfect side dish to have with anything you've cooked on a grill.

Nearly ten years ago I created this recipe for Kalyn's Low Carb Coleslaw, after I'd been eating the lower carb way for a little while. When I served it to my extended family of absolutely-not-low-carb eaters, several people commented that it was the best coleslaw they'd ever had! Now that grilling season is here again, I decided it was time to give this recipe a better photo.

My favorite coleslaw starts out with a package of coleslaw mix from the store, which means the only thing that's at all time consuming about making my coleslaw is making the dressing. You can certainly slice up cabbage yourself if you prefer (or if you don't want the teeny-tiny bit of carrots that comes in the packaged mix.)

This dressing will keep in the fridge for a week or probably even two, so I'm giving you a recipe for enough dressing for two bags of coleslaw mix. Make the full amount of dressing, and you can make a big bowl of coleslaw for a party or have coleslaw again in a few days! I love this version of coleslaw with my personal "must have" ingredients of buttermilk, celery seeds, and chopped red cabbage; hope you enjoy!

Season salad with a little more salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. This is best the day it's made, but that doesn't stop me from gobbling up leftovers the next day whenever I have some in the fridge.

And just for historical purposes, here's the original photo of Kalyn's Low-Carb Coleslaw from 2006. You can tell I loved celery seeds in coleslaw even back then!

Dressing Ingredients:
(Makes enough dressing for about two packages of coleslaw mix. Use more or less dressing to taste.)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk (or use all buttermilk for a little more tang)
1 cup mayo or light mayo (do not use fat free)
1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. Veg-Sal (or use slightly less salt)
1/3 cup Stevia-in-the-Raw Granulated Sweetener or use a bit less, to taste
(You can use other sweeteners, or use sugar if you don't care if the coleslaw is low in carbs.)

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients. I did in a bowl with a wire whisk. If you're not sure how sweet you like your coleslaw, mix the dressing with slightly less sweetener and then taste and decide whether you want to use the full amount.

At least 2 hours before serving, combine coleslaw mix, chopped red cabbage, and thinly sliced green onion. Pour enough dressing over to moisten all the cabbage and combine well. Chill in refrigerator, then stir again just before serving. (You may need less than 1/2 the dressing for one bag of coleslaw mix. Keep the rest in the refrigerator for another time.)

If you're not a fan of Stevia or other reduced-calorie sweeteners, replace the sweetener in this recipe for 3-4 T of Agave Nectar for another coleslaw variation that's not as low in carbs but still pretty healthy.

South Beach Diet / Low-Carb Diet Suggestions:
The South Beach Diet would recommend using reduced-fat mayo for this recipe, but truthfully I'd use full-fat mayo in mine, and I still wouldn't worry about eating this for any phase of the South Beach Diet (even with the teeny-tiny bit of carrots in the coleslaw mix.) This should also be great for most other low-carb eating plans.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Hi Kalyn, I linked to your buttermilk-mayonnaise dressing recipe in a post for deviled eggs recently. I also listed the ingredients used in the dressing and hope by doing this I haven't crossed a line. I've given you lots of credit! Let me know if I should remove the ingredients from my post and just link to your recipe.Thanks!

Hi Kaylyn....This is superb, one of the best slaw dressings I have ever had. Like you, I am a cabbage freak and actually rate restaurants (for me) as to how good their coleslaw was. I love your site and have compiled a notebook of my favorites. Thanks for your excellent work....Dennis

Katy, I am not 100% sure what you mean? There is a link: Click Here for Printer Friendly Recipe. That takes you to a page with only text, then you just use file/print or control/P (whatever the command is on your computer type) to print as you normally do. You shouldn't have to copy the text.

I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.

I've recently changed my comment settings so people can comment without signing in, but you will need to check the box to show you're a live person, and comments on older posts won't show up until I publish them. Thanks for understanding!

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